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Textbook Expert
Textbook ExpertVerified Tutor
24 Nov 2021

Given information

From the question we get the following values:

Alpha particle's mass    

The atomic nucleus's mass    

Speed of the remaining nucleus    

The nucleus's speed    

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1.

At first we have to know the definition of momentum. So, Momentum is a measure of mass in motion that means, how much mass is moving and how fast. It is commonly denoted by the letter p.

Momentum is preserved during the disintegration of an atomic nucleus into a daughter nucleus and an alpha particle. This is due to the absence of any external influences in the degradation process.

If the atomic nucleus's mass before disintegration is M and its speed is , then the nucleus's initial momentum is given by

 

There,

the mass of the alpha particle = 

its speed =

the mass of the remaining nucleus =

its speed =

 then the final momentum of the system is given by

 

Since, momentum is constant,

 

 

The alpha particle's speed is determined by,

 

 

 

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